Gwen Harwood “Father and Child” Essay

The poem stupefy and Child by Gwen Harwood shows Harwoods have teaching her the concepts of life and finis, from when she is a young child in b Owl up to when she is around forty at the time of his finis in Nightfall, coming to accept the idea that life is non never-ending. In part one called Barn Owl she has learnt to accept death as a component of life. The range of the poem experiences a outrage of innocence with the discovery of the tragedy of death. Before shooting the owl, the child believes they argon the master of life and death, with the noun, master, reflecting the power that the child feels and the ignorance that the child has about the reputation of death. This description of the child is later contrasted in the fourth stanza, I watched, frightened by the fallen gun, a lonely child who believed death blame and final, not this obscene bundle of stuff. The emotive term, afraid, represents the change in the personas attitude after being exposed to the harsh honest y that is mortality.However, the rhyme and last line of credit what sorrows in the end, no record books, no disunite can mend releases an element of inexpressible sadness that she has towards the death of her pose showing that although she accepts death, it still upsets her as it did in Barn Owl. Father and Child Nightfall is more(prenominal) metaphorical and symbolic suggesting a more mature persona like an adult. The poem represents a humans journey over time of learning to mature and accept death. The poem Father and Child explores the reversing roles of captures and childrens roles as time goes on. Nightfall is more metaphorical and symbolic suggesting a more mature persona like an adult, and is about a child grown to adult age expenditure time with her stick before he dies.The symbolism of the imagery presented done the poem is of the passing of time, this is shown in words like temporal, briefness, late, night and day, grown and ancient, this represents the ageing of the experience and child and emphasises how they have grown both physically and mentally. The use of the word angel in Barn Owl suggests the fillness of the father-daughter relationship. Also the line I leaned my head upon my fathers arm, and wept, shows the care and comforting character of the father. However, Nightfall shows the childish nature towards her father starts to disappear and that she has developed enceinte respect for her father. This is first implied through the phrase Father and child, we stand in times long promised land which shows they have a coupled front facing deathtogether.This is further emphasised through the rhetorical question of Who can be what you were? showing the appreciation for her father, as she recalls her fathers marvellous journey. Also, the use of direct speech from the father asking, Be your tears wet? is an allusion to Shakespeares play queen Lear, where power Lear asks this same question to his upset daughter Cordelia on his death be d, this is where King Lear discovers that Cordelia was the only child that truly cared for him, suggesting that the persona has been faithful in caring for her father up until his death. Old king is a similar allusion once again implying that the persona appreciates her fathers life thinking it was great and it needs to be treasured. Nightfall is suggesting that although loved ones pass, it is important to hold the memories shared close so spiritually, they are never really gone even though physically they have passed.